Snohomish County, Washington
Snohomish County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. With a population of 827,957 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous county in Washington, after nearby King and Pierce counties, and the 72nd-most populous in the United States. The county seat and largest city is Everett. The county forms part of the Seattle metropolitan area, which also includes King and Pierce counties to the south.
The county's western portion, facing Puget Sound and other inland waters of the Salish Sea, is home to the majority of its population and major cities. The eastern portion is rugged and includes portions of the Cascade Range, with few settlements along major rivers and most of it designated as part of the Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest. Snohomish County is bound to the north by Skagit County, to the east by Chelan County, to the south by King County, and to the west by Kitsap and Island counties.
Snohomish County was created from a portion of Island County on January 14, 1861, and is named for the indigenous Snohomish people. It includes the Tulalip Indian Reservation, which was established by the 1855 Point Elliott Treaty, by which several indigenous Coast Salish groups were required to cede their lands and relocate to the reservation. The county seat was originally at the city of Snohomish. An 1897 election moved it to Everett. Since the mid-20th century, areas of Snohomish County have developed into an aerospace manufacturing center, largely due to the presence of Boeing in Everett. There are also bedroom communities for people who work in Seattle.
Snohomish County now has 18 incorporated cities and two towns with their own local governments, in addition to developed unincorporated areas. It is connected to nearby areas by roads, railways, and transit systems. The county government is led by a five-member county council and chief executive, all elected by voters to four-year terms.
Etymology
"Snohomish" comes from the name of what was the largest Native American tribe in the area when European-American settlers arrived in the 19th century. The name is spelled Sduhubš in the Lushootseed language and its meaning is disputed with unclear origins. Federal Indian agent Dr. Charles M. Buchanan, who spent 21 years with the Tulalip, once said that he had "never met an Indian who could give a meaning to the word Snohomish". Chief William Shelton, the last hereditary tribal chief of the Snohomish tribe, claimed that it meant "lowland people", a name associated with the tribe's location on the waters of the Puget Sound. Other scholars have claimed it meant "a style of union among them", "the braves", or "Sleeping Waters".The name is also used for the Snohomish River, which runs through part of the county, and the City of Snohomish, the former county seat that was renamed after the formation of the county. The current spelling of the name was adopted by the Surveyor General of Washington Territory in 1857, replacing alternative spellings used in some earlier documents and accounts. John Work of the Hudson's Bay Company recorded the name as "Sinnahmis" in 1824, while the Wilkes Expedition of 1841 used "Tuxpam" to describe the Snohomish River. The same river was named "Sinahomis" by Captain Henry Kellett in 1847, and was accepted in that spelling by the U.S. government for several years.
History
Snohomish County was originally inhabited by several Coast Salish groups, predominantly settled along the western coastline and near the region's rivers. The Snohomish were the largest group and occupied an area from present-day Warm Beach to Shoreline, while Stillaguamish lived in the Stillaguamish River basin. The region was first charted and named by European explorers in the late 18th century, beginning with Captain George Vancouver and his British expedition. Vancouver arrived in Puget Sound and Port Gardner Bay on June 4, 1792, landing near present-day Everett.The Treaty of Point Elliott was signed at present-day Mukilteo on January 22, 1855, marking the cession of Coast Salish territories in the Puget Sound lowlands. The Tulalip Indian Reservation was established to house the remaining tribes, including the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, and Skykomish. Snohomish County was created out of Island County's mainland areas and the northernmost portion of King County on January 14, 1861. The separation from Island County was the result of a petition by settlers to the territorial legislature that cited the difficulty of travel to Coupeville on Whidbey Island, the county seat at the time.
The new county was the first in Washington to have its boundaries defined by a land survey rather than natural boundaries. The territorial legislature designated Mukilteo, the area's largest settlement, as the temporary county seat in January 1861. The county government was permanently moved to Cadyville, later Snohomish, following an election on July 8. Residents north of the Snohomish River later proposed to be moved into Skagit County due to difficult travel to the county seat at Snohomish. After the incorporation of the city of Everett in 1893, the city's leaders attempted to move the county seat from Snohomish. A countywide general election on November 6, 1894, chose to relocate the county seat to Everett, amid controversy and allegations of illegal votes. After two years of litigation between the cities of Snohomish and Everett, the county seat was officially relocated to Everett in December 1896.
One of the first county censuses was taken in 1862 by Sheriff Salem A. Woods. Early important pioneers in the Snohomish County region included E. F. Cady of Snohomish, Emory C. Ferguson of Snohomish and Isaac Cathcart.
The early economy of Snohomish County relied on natural resources, namely timber and mining, alongside agriculture. The region was connected by railroads at the end of the 19th century, which also created new towns that experienced major population booms as emigrants arrived from other parts of the United States. The county was among the largest New Deal aid beneficiaries in Washington due to its troubled economy during the Great Depression; the Works Progress Administration built major projects around Snohomish County, while the Civilian Conservation Corps developed wilderness and recreational areas around several work camps.
During World War II, the county had several shipyards and airplane factories established to supply the United States Armed Forces. Several existing and new airfields were converted into military use, which would continue beyond the war. A post-war population boom brought new suburban development to Snohomish County, where bedroom communities were built alongside new highways to Seattle. In 1967, Boeing began construction of an aircraft assembly plant—the world's largest building—in Everett for its Boeing 747 program. The U.S. Navy located a major homeport in Everett that opened in 1994.
Geography
Snohomish County is part of the Puget Sound region of Western Washington, bordered to the south by King County, to the west by Puget Sound and other inland waters, to the north by Skagit County, and to the east by the Chelan County at the crest of the Cascade Range. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total square area of approximately, of which is land and, or 5.0%, is water. It is the 13th largest county in Washington by land area and is larger than the states of Delaware and Rhode Island.The county's surface is covered by plains and rolling hills in the west, where the majority of settlements are, and mountainous terrain in the east. The Cascade Range passes through the eastern part of the county and is largely protected from development as part of the Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest. The mountain range includes the highest point in Snohomish County: Glacier Peak, at above sea level. Several major rivers originate in the Cascades and flow west towards Puget Sound and other parts of the Salish Sea, including the Stillaguamish and Snohomish. These rivers form several valleys used for agriculture that occasionally flood during major weather events, such as atmospheric rivers.
Climate
The lowland areas of western Snohomish County generally has a temperate Mediterranean climate similar to the rest of the central Puget Sound region with dry summers and wet winters. The county's weather is heavily influenced by maritime systems, pushed by prevailing westerly winds but dampened by the Olympic Mountains. The mean monthly temperatures for the county range from during the winter and in the summer. The record highest temperatures were set during a June 2021 heat wave, with highs of up to recorded in several areas. Annual precipitation ranges from in the west to in the upper elevations of the Cascades; the majority of the region's precipitation falls between October and March. The county's lowlands also has an average annual snowfall ranging from. The Puget Sound Convergence Zone, a known meteorological phenomenon, runs through southwestern Snohomish County and causes narrow bands of precipitation.Flora and fauna
Approximately 68 percent of land in Snohomish County is classified as forestland, which is predominantly located in the eastern portions. These forests are dominated by conifer species such as Douglas firs, hemlocks, and cedars, with pockets of deciduous species in logged areas.Demographics
A 2007 report from the county government projected that Snohomish County would grow to 938,000 residents by 2025 and would be able to accommodate population growth within its existing urban areas.2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 827,957 people, 306,828 households, and 211,519 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 321,523 housing units at an average density of.The racial makeup of the county was 66.0% White, 3.5% Black or African American, 1.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 12.3% Asian, 5.4% from some other race, and 10.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 11.6% of the population.
Of the residents, 22.7% were under the age of 18 and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 38.2 years. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.3 males. 88.2% of residents lived in urban areas and 11.8% lived in rural areas.
There were 306,828 households in the county, of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Of those housing units, 4.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 66.4% were owner-occupied and 33.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.6%.